Automatic trailer brake



gv w. o. SWANSON ET AL 1,725,548

AUTOMATI C TRAILER BRAKE Filed Aug. 29, 1927 cf /g'l' Z i? '4 i Z i J F17 i4 7 Patented Aug. 2 0, 1929.

7 WILLIAM o. SWANSON AND WILLIAM F. swansou,

] NEOSHO, MISSOURI nuromn'rxo TRAILER mun.

Application filed August 29, 1927. saw No. 216,106.

This invention relates to automatic brakes for wheeled trailers, and theobject is to provide a self regulating brake mechanism for a heeledtrailer, which will automatically operate .to brake the vehicle in goingdown a 1 grade and so relieve the tractor vehicle of the dead weight ofthe trailer. a

Inthe drawing I g Figure 1 is a plan view of a trailer chassis,embodying this invention, showing also in plan a section of the tractorvehicle to which the trailer is attached Figure 2 is a side elevation ofthe assembly shown in Figure 1.

In carrying out this invention we mount two equal tongue sleeves orcollars 1 and.2 in longitudinal alignment upon the bounds of the trailerchassis 3, the same being arranged upon the longitudinal center line ofthe chassis as a whole, the rear collar 1 being rigidly incorporated inthe crossbar 4, or

- rigidly secured thereto, and the forward collar 2 being likewiserigidly secured to the forward meeting ends 5 of the hounds 6, the! saidcol-lar 2 forming in fact a junction for the said hounds; Aconventionalvform of round tongue 7 is provided, of a diameter neatly and slidably toengage the collars 1 and 2 and is passed through said collars, with therear end 8- protruding substantially throu h the rear collar 1. Thetongue 7 is pierc with the series of couplin pin holes 9. An adjustabledraw or pul collar 10 is slidabl mounted upon the tongue 7 immediatelbacl r of the forward collar 2, butis adapted to be locked in any one ofthe several locations demarked along the tongue 7 by the holes 9, bymeans of a coupling pin 11 loosely passed through the pinhole 12 formedthrough the collar 10, and through'any one of the said holes 9 of thetongue. Thus a forward pull upon the tongue 7 will draw the pull collar10 1 up against the. fixed collar 2, and thus draw the vehicle 3 as awhole. The collar 10 is provided with lateral wings or guides 13 adaptedto slidably bear upon the hounds 6, thereby preventing the turning ortwisting of the;

tongue 7 within the collars 1 and 2. A shock collar 14 is locked u onthetongue 7 forwardly of and spaced rom the collar 2, and a coiledshock'spring 15 is mounted over the tongue 7 between these collars 2 and14. \A tension adjusting brake'collar 16 is adjustably mounted upon thetongue 7 by means of a pin 17 passing through the collar and one of theholes 9. The upper end orhead of the pin 17 hasjournaled thereupon apulley 18, and slmilar pulleys 19 are mountedlaterally upon the hounds6, the pulle s 19 being located somewhat forwardly .o the pulley 18. Acable 20 is secured by its ends to the brake levers 21 of the brakes 22and is then assed forwardly over the two pulleys 19 an rearwardly overthe pulley 18.- The forward end; of the tongue 7 15 attached to thetractor vehicle 23 as'shown'at 24.' t

In operation, and with the several'describe'd elements properlyadjusted. and tensioned,

when the vehicle 3 is going down grade, it is v apparent that the weightof the vehicle 3 crowding forwardly aga nst the relative inertiaof thevehicle 23, will cause the tongue 7 to be thrust backwardly, therebyautomatically tighteningthe cable 20 and the brakes 22. The spring 15serves as a shock absorber against the too sudden forward thrust of thecollar 2.

While we have herein described a certain specific manner and method ofconstructing and assembling the elements of our inventhe same in minordetails, not departing from the spirit of our invention, so as best tocon-y struct apractical device for the urpose intended, as defined inthe appende claims.

e clalm: I 1. In adevice of the kind described, a

tion, it is understood that'we may vary from trailer vehicle chassisincluding alined front and rear tongue sleeves, a tongue slidably passedthrough said sleeves, a pullcollar mounted on the tongue adapted to enage the front sleeve, lateral wings on the sli'dabl engaging the houndsof t e chassis, a shoe co lar mounted on the tongue forwardly'of thefront sleeve, shock absorbin means between said shock collar and frontsleeve, a brake collar mounted on the. tongue" and o e-rativelyconnected to the brakes of the vehic e, and means for adjusting saidpull collar and brake collar on said tongue.

2; In a device of trailer vehicle, chassis including front and reartongue sleeves disposed tudinal center line of the chassis the fronttongue sleeve forming a junction or the for-. ward ends of the houndstongue-slidably passed throughsaid tongue sleeves, the front end of thetongue having means for coupling the same to a tractor vehicle, a pullcollar adjust'ably mounted'on 'u l collar gas upon the longiof thechassis, a

rear tongue sleeves disposed in -saidsleeves being arranged upon thelongitudinal center line of the chassis. as a whole, a crossbarconnecting the rearward portions of said hounds, said rear tongue sleevebeing secured to said cross bar, the front tongue sleeve forming ajunction for the forward ends of said hounds, a tongue slidably passedthrough said sleeves, the front end of the tongue'ex-p 1tendingforwardly of the front collar and having means for couplin thetongue to a tractor vehicle, said tongue aving a plurality of verticalapertures alon its longitudinal center line, a pull collar a justahlymounted on said tongue rearwardly of the frontsleeve, means engaging anyone of said apertures for locking said pu l collar on said tongue,lateral Wings on ,Sflld pull collar slidably engaging said hounds, ashock collar secured to said tongue forwardly of said front sleeve, acoiled spring on said tongue between said shock collar and said frontsleeve, a brake collar adjustably mounted on said tongue rearwardly ofsaid pull collar, means engaging any one of said apertures forlockingsaid brakevcollar on said tongue, and means for connecting saidbrake collar 'to'the brake mechanism of the trailer vehicle.

,In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures.

WILLIAM o. sWLANsoN. WILLIAM F. SWANSON.

